Dehradun: After USA, India has also achieved a rare distinction of using bio-jet fuel as the sustainable alternative for the aviation purposes.

In a major development the Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) has successfully developed a bio-jet fuel derived from the seeds of tung trees, commonly known as jatropha for flying jet aircrafts.

Witnessing the serious challenges in the availability of petroleum products and looking for a sustainable option for aviation fuel, the scientists of IIP had started a research study “Application of Bio fuel for Aviation” in 2010. The study aimed at discovering eco-friendly and sustainable alternatives for aviation fuels.

Senior scientist of IIP, Dr. Anil Sinha said, “15 litres of bio fuel produced in the elementary stage were sent to the oil companies Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) for testing.”

“The high quality fuel fulfills all the norms of jet fuels after the standard testing,” he added.

According to sources, the testing of the bio fuels will be completed by June 2012.

It is noteworthy that America has produced the bio-jet fuel from Jatropha Curcus seeds through double processing while India has produced it by single processing only.

According to the scientists of IIP, the new fuel can be used directly as well as after mixing it in the regular oil in the aircrafts. International Aviation Transport Association (IATA) has set an aim to increase use of bio-jet fuels with the regular oils by 10 percent by 2017.

It will prove to be a better alternative as cost levels are comparatively very low in its production. 900 grams of bio-fuel can be produced from 1 litre of Jatropha oil.

Moreover, it will be highly effective in restricting air pollution. The fuels used in aircrafts releases 2 percent of Carbon Dioxide in the upper layers of environment, which is more hazardous than pollution in lower layers of the atmosphere. The new environment friendly fuel will cease such issues.

As per the reports, the use of jet fuels has increased by more than 21 percent in past one decade. Moreover, it is believed that the strength of aircrafts across the world will reach 30,900 by 2029. Hence, the requirement for better alternatives to meet the escalating demands of the future is also high. Consequently newly produced bio-fuel will be a better substitute.